Pages

Tuesday, April 4, 2017

Redefining Dr. Mom - A Review of the First PMG CME Conference

If you're a mother in medicine and you haven't heard about Physician Moms Group, you might be living under a (social media) rock. PMG, which started in 2014 as a Facebook group for exchanging advice and support between women physicians who are moms or moms to be, has morphed into a community of more than 60,000 women with an influential internet presence. Any group of women that can sell out the entire stock of Instant Pots on Amazon in minutes or lobby to get discounts on coveted clothing or other products has some serious clout! As part of the group's continued evolution, founder Hala Sabry, DO and her best friend Dina Seif, MD recently held their first CME Conference in Las Vegas on April 1st, 2017, entitled Redefining Dr. Mom. And I was lucky enough to be able to attend!

Let me start out by saying that this was by far the most interesting and engaging CME activity that I have ever witnessed. There is the tendency at such events to plop down in the back row, pour yourself a large cup of coffee, and whip out your phone to scroll email or social media. Instead, this conference was chock full of useful and relevant information, presented in a dynamic and interactive format. Presentations ranged in topic from recognition and prevention of burnout, to financial planning strategies, to nonclinical paths in medicine. To top it off, there was a female physician entrepreneur panel moderated by ZDogg MD (Hala's friend and local Las Vegan)!

ZDogg in the house!

When I looked around at the other attendees, I was struck by the diversity of women in the room. I saw many ethnicities, shapes, and ages. Some women wore jeans while others were clad in suits. Some had bouffants, others had beach hair. There were bare faces and full makeup. Yet we were all physician mothers, present to discuss what might be lacking in our careers and learn what might enhance our current work-life balance. Each excellent presenter shared a personal experience as part of her talk that represented a watershed moment in her journey, something that had led her to question or change her presumed path in medicine.

Another common thread throughout presentations was the emphasis on identifying core values as a way to assess happiness and drive future direction. The presenters also prompted attendees to think outside of standard paradigms - regarding self-care, business, and leadership or mentoring roles. Included as well were optional organized social events for the two nights surrounding the conference - a spa outing and dinner, plus a dinner and Cirque du Soleil show. Being somewhat of a "local" to Vegas (I travel there frequently in the winter), I also led a small group of PMGers and their families on a hike in the Red Rocks the next morning!

PMG is definitely planning more CMEs for the future, and I would highly recommend attending. Also, if you are not a member and are interested in joining, visit MyPMG.com to supply your own credentials, or have a Facebook friend add you to the closed group.

12 comments:

Did it bother you at all that the session you photographed was moderated by a man? It seems strange (and undesirable) to me that a conference focused on women and the specific challenges they face in medicine wouldn't have had a female moderator.

Great question, actually no, not at all! ZDogg is quite the feminist, and his radiologist wife (also a PMG member) and kids were in the audience. I got the feeling that his appearance was last minute. He added comic relief to the panel but didn't dominate it at all, and he was only there for a short time.

I wish I had known about that!I don't follow the main page cause it overwhelms me. I saw one of my ED friends from Fayetteville was there too. Good to know ZDogg is feminist - he's a bit of a cult hero in the Dr. World. I do appreciate the irony though Solitary Diner:). Did Hala present? Wondering what she looks like. I am going to the Style MD spin-off this fall looking forward to that. I'll report here what it's like and make sure to show women pics lol.

I was in a serious relationship for about 3 years.We had a split up in March due to his Ex making threats to his children about me being no good and not to be with me.he broke up with me. I pleaded (Mistake) then started the NC rule. After almost a month he contacted me via friends phone and asked me if I was mad. he told me he missed me and loved me.We got back together and that lasted almost 2 months.Now in early february a similar situation happened again, but with my children. he broke it off again. I did the pleading again with no response from her. I started NC again.Friends of mine tell me that he’ll be back again. Through a friend he told them that he loved me & missed me, but to have patience, trust and not to worry.so i go in search online if i can get any help to save my relationship with my bf, so luckily i found a web site saying getting your ex back, fix your marriage, and restored broken relationship. so i contacted and gave a try on http://happyspelltemple.webs.com/ he promise and gave me his word that with-in 2 days i will have my relationship restored with my bf which he did as he promise i must say now that me and my bf and living happily together again also we are about to get married now all thanks to Dr happy he is indeed a real spell caster plz if you need any help like my do not hesitate to contact him on happylovespell2@gmail.com or add him on whats-app +2348133873774

I was in a serious relationship for about 3 years.We had a split up in March due to his Ex making threats to his children about me being no good and not to be with me.he broke up with me. I pleaded (Mistake) then started the NC rule. After almost a month he contacted me via friends phone and asked me if I was mad. he told me he missed me and loved me.We got back together and that lasted almost 2 months.Now in early february a similar situation happened again, but with my children. he broke it off again. I did the pleading again with no response from her. I started NC again.Friends of mine tell me that he’ll be back again. Through a friend he told them that he loved me & missed me, but to have patience, trust and not to worry.so i go in search online if i can get any help to save my relationship with my bf, so luckily i found a web site saying getting your ex back, fix your marriage, and restored broken relationship. so i contacted and gave a try on http://happyspelltemple.webs.com/ he promise and gave me his word that with-in 2 days i will have my relationship restored with my bf which he did as he promise i must say now that me and my bf and living happily together again also we are about to get married now all thanks to Dr happy he is indeed a real spell caster plz if you need any help like my do not hesitate to contact him on happylovespell2@gmail.com or add him on whats-app +2348133873774

Mothers in Medicine is a group blog by physician-mothers, writing about the unique challenges and joys of tending to two distinct patient populations, both of whom can be quite demanding. We are on call every. single. day.

Disclaimer

No content of this blog should be taken as medical advice. Any references to patients have been altered to maintain confidentiality. Content and links on personal blogs listed on the blogroll are not vetted or monitored and do not represent endorsements by Mothers in Medicine.